More than one-quarter of all the energy consumed in Sweden in 2004 came from renewable sources—more than four times as much as the European Union average of 6 percent. In the capital, Stockholm, one-quarter of city buses run on ethanol or biogas.

In 2006 the Swedish government pledged to become the world's first oil-free country by 2020.

Win-Win Business

Sweden has among the highest prices of alcohol in Europe, and many Swedes travel to neighboring Germany and Denmark to stock up on cheap beer, wine, and spirits.

But traders bringing alcohol into Sweden who exceed the maximum amount allowed can have their goods confiscated.